[Leafsfan1967]

2010-11 ITG Heroes & Prospects Hockey
Release Date: January 20th 2011
Box Configuration: 18 packs per box, 9 cards per pack (including 1 He Shoots He Scores Redemption Card)
Suggested Retail Price: around $75 to $80 per hobby box


Box Break + Highlights

Base Set
This year's Heroes & Prospects base set contains 150 cards featuring some of the best players from the CHL and AHL. The following categories make up the 150 card base set: Heroes, International Prospects, AHL Graduates, AHL Rookies, AHL Prospects, CHL Prospects, and CHL Rookies.

Non-Memorabilia Inserts (1:6 Packs)
This year's Heroes & Prospects product will contain 100 non-memorabilia inserts falling at a 1:6 pack rate. These inserts are Calder Cup Champions, Memorial Cup Champions, Class of 2011 (this is a redemption for game-used memorabilia cards of 1st round draft picks), 75th Anniversary Of The AHL, and 100 Years Of Card Collecting.

Authentic Autos (1:8 Packs)
There are over 125 autos to collect in this year's Heroes & Prospects Hockey. It includes players from the CHL, AHL, International Prospects, and an impressive list of Heroes.

Game Used Memorabilia (1:8 Packs)
Expect to find in this year's Heroes & Prospects black, silver, and gold versions of Game Used Jerseys, Game Used Numbers, and Game Used Emblems. There will also be game-used memorabilia from Top Prospects Game and Subway Series, which will also have an autographed version. You will also be able to find these following memorabilia cards: National Pride, Net Prospects, Prospects Trio, Quad Patch, Complete Jersey, Complete Logo, Heroes Memorabilia, and the ever popular Heroes & Prospects Game Used Memorabilia.


What We Pulled

Base Cards



We managed to pull 138 out of the 150 base cards in our box. The base set contains some of the best heroes, rookies, and prospects in the game today, not to mention those that have already made an impact in the NHL. The cards pictured above are of Hall of Famer Steve Yzerman, superstar Steven Stamkos, and rookie sensation Sergei Bobrovsky. Also pictured are #2 overall pick this past NHL Entry Draft Tyler Seguin of the Boston Bruins, Team Canada junior goalie Olivier Roy, one of the top draft eligible players in the world today in Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Montreal Canadiens sensational rookie defenseman P.K. Subban, the youngest of the Staal brothers Jared Staal, and Toronto Maple Leafs rookie sensation Nazem Kadri. The photography is absolute gorgeous throughout the set.


Redemption Cards



The He Shoots He Scores Redemption Cards are inserted 1 per pack except for the packs that have a memorabilia card in it. We pulled 16 Redemption Cards in this box. Each Redemption Card is worth 1 point. These cards can be redeemed for 2010-11 ITG Heroes & Prospects special memorabilia cards after you accumulate 200 points. There will be 30 special memorabilia cards produced. Each will be packaged in an ITG holder and will be individually hand numbered out of 20 and sent out to collectors in numerical order based upon receipt of redemption points.


Inserts



One of the inserts we pulled in our box was a 75th Anniversay Card of the AHL Marcel Paille. The black and white photos really give this insert an old time appeal to collectors.



Another insert we pulled was this Calder Cup Champions insert of Mathieu Perreault of the Hershey Bears. He is a prospect of the Washington Capitals. Love the subtle Hershey Bears logo in the background of this card. Very sharp looking insert.



We also pulled this beautiful Tim Horton insert in our box. This is from the 100 Years Of Card Collecting insert set and we were extremely lucky to pull one of my all time favorite Leafs players. Tim Horton is not only famous for his play on the ice, but his donut chain in Canada is what most people will remember him for. This subset is definitely worth persuing for the collector.


Game Used Memorabilia



We pulled a Net Prospects Jumbo Jersey card (black version) of Washington Capitals prospect goalie Braden Holtby. A very nice looking jersey card with a generous sized swatch piece.



The other game used card we pulled and my favorite of the box is this beautiful 2 colored Game Used Jersey (black version) of Los Angeles Kings prospect Jordan Weal. I love the way they use the blue jersey of the player to match with the border design of the card. These are extremely sharp looking cards.


Autographs



We were extremely lucky to pull an autographed parallel version of the 75th Anniversay Of The AHL insert set featuring Noel Price. This card actually was an extra hit according to the box odds posted. Very nice subset and again a very old time hockey feel to it.



The second autograph we pulled was of Boston Bruins prospect Jamie Arniel. These autograph cards are highly collectible each year and are a must have for autograph collectors looking for the very first autograph of the future stars of the game.



We also pulled an autograph of future Hall Of Fame Goalie Roberto Luongo. This could arguably be the best hit of the box. Bobby Lou is one of the best goalies in the NHL today and it was a huge thrill to be able to pull him from our box.


Final Thoughts

Heroes & Prospects is always one of my favorite box breaks of the year. The low number base set of 150 cards is very easy to complete. The set contains a nice assortment of veterans, stars, and present and future prospects in it. The inserts feature beautiful photography, coloring, and the 125+ autograph set satisfies the autograph chaser looking for signatures of past, present, and future stars of pro hockey. The autographs are sticker autographs. Although we only pulled regular jersey cards from our box break, anyone who has ever opened this product will tell you that the multi-colored patch cards from Heroes & Prospect boxes are second to none in the card business. If you are lucky enough to hit one, you will see why. You are guaranteed 2 Autos and 2 Memorabilia Cards on average per box for the cost of around $80. The chance of pulling some of the multi-colored patch cards make this product worth it.


How I Rate This Product:
Value = 5
Innovation = 5
Fun and Experience = 5
Rebuy Value = 5

I rate this product A+ for ITG


NPN:

There is no NPN for this product.


I would like to thank In The Game & Card Collectors World for giving me the chance to review this new product. Be on the look out for future contests with cards from this box break.

[key2win]

My favorite card design is hands down the 100 Years Of Card Collecting inserts. The Jerseys have a large swatch to them which I think most collectors prefer. The Jordan Weal Jersey is very colorful and the background goes well with the design. Congrats on pulling a Luongo Auto. In The Game has a great hockey product here and is now expanding to do baseball cards as well. Thanks ITG!!!

[thebighurt035]

Love the large jersey swatch but that 100 Years Of Card Collecting insert I like alot.

The guy does look funny on that card,lol

[jsab4807]

Sweet break....awesome Luongo!

[Brads55]

Awesome Luongo auto!!!!!! Loving the look of this product!

[gladdyontherise]

nice review! very nice box

[great8]

Thanks for the reveiw Troy. Those 75th Anniversary autos are pretty tough as there are only a handful on the CL. Someone on another board cracked a 20 box case and got 3.

Danny.

[OriolesFan]

Thanks for the nice review. Without a doubt this is a product that Hockey fans/collectors should definitely consider purchasing.

[fuser]

sweet set and even sweeter patch. i will have to try a box

[schwood]

I obviously love the Arniel. Very cool break. Pretty nice insert sets there.

[Leafsfan1967]

Thanks very much to ITG for allowing us to review this wonderful product. They do a terrific job year in, and year out with Heroes & Prospects. A good portion of my autograph collection is from previous years of H&P. Like baseball prospecting, if you follow junior hockey in Canada, and know your stuff, with H&P you can get in early on some of up, and coming young stars of the game, before they become superstars, and prices are unattainable. The multi-colored emblems, and numbers inserted in this product are 2nd to no one in the business. At approximately $75 a box for this many hits is rediculously fair. If you aren't buying these boxes, what are you wasting your money on?

[Leafsfan1967]

Also, just wanted to thank our GM Kerwin for his never-ending assistance putting together this box break review with me. Very much appreciated, my friend.

[ejiminee]

Nice break and a great review!

You just can't beat a bonus hit!

[Leafsfan1967]

Originally Posted by great8

Thanks for the reveiw Troy. Those 75th Anniversary autos are pretty tough as there are only a handful on the CL. Someone on another board cracked a 20 box case and got 3.

Danny.

Thanks Danny! I saw that break, and was wondering if those 75th Anniversary autos maybe fell at a 1:6 box rate, but I'm not sure about that now, as another 20 box case break I saw had zero of these autos in it. Haven't seen another Luongo pulled yet, so I'm wondering if he may be an SP?

Originally Posted by ejiminee

Nice break and a great review!

You just can't beat a bonus hit!

A lot of the box breaks I've seen so far have contained 3 autos, and 2 GU, so this product is an absolute bargain at that price point. I'm saying it now, this is the early favorite for product of the year. I will take this stuff all day long, and twice on Sunday's over The Cup, Black, Premier etc.

[Mister_Ed]

excellent review- thanks to ITG, and thanks to Troy for reviewing it. Love the bobby lou, and that patch is awesome!

[great8]

Originally Posted by Leafsfan1967

Thanks Danny! I saw that break, and was wondering if those 75th Anniversary autos maybe fell at a 1:6 box rate, but I'm not sure about that now, as another 20 box case break I saw had zero of these autos in it. Haven't seen another Luongo pulled yet, so I'm wondering if he may be an SP?

Actually I havn't seen many other "hero" autographs either. I think there are about 4 "hero" auto's on the CL (P. Bure, Stamkos, R. Nash, Luongo) I would personally keep the Luongo because I don't recall any other auto'd card pictured of him in his junior team.

[Leafsfan1967]

Originally Posted by great8

Actually I havn't seen many other "hero" autographs either. I think there are about 4 "hero" auto's on the CL (P. Bure, Stamkos, R. Nash, Luongo) I would personally keep the Luongo because I don't recall any other auto'd card pictured of him in his junior team.

Me neither. I wouldn't be shocked if all of those guys are very limited. I have yet to see any of the other 3 guys pulled either. It's early yet, though, so we'll see.

Edit: Saw one Nash pulled, and one Stammer on ebay. Want them both. LOL!!

[moosejaw00]

Great box, an extra hit is always nice!!

[Hoffmoen]

Sweet product, love the g/u's and auto''s. Nice overall review of box.

[UltimateHockeyFan]

ITG is known for their big seams on the swatches which is cool. I like the design this year. I also need that Stamkos base, lol.